Capitol Hill Day 2013: Report and Summary

Advocacy Resource | August 15, 2013

Every year, people from across the country take advantage of being in Washington, DC for the Alliance’s National Conference on Ending Homelessness to meet with their U.S. Senators and Representatives and their respective staff members during the Alliance’s Capitol Hill Day. Capitol Hill Day 2013 was yet another monumental success, with a large contingent of conference participants from a record number of states visiting a record number of congressional offices. Over 418 participants visited congressional offices representing 45 different states. Volunteers serving as State Captains organized an unprecedented 300 plus congressional meetings. Participants met with an impressive number of the Members of Congress who sit on key committees such as the House and Senate Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development (T-HUD) Appropriations Subcommittee and the Military Construction and Veterans Affairs (MilCon-VA) Appropriations Subcommittee.

The full results of the energy and efforts of these 2013 Capitol Hill Day participants will be more fully visible in the months ahead. To date, Congress has not yet finalized the fiscal year (FY) 2014 appropriations bills, which will attest to the concrete success of Capitol Hill Day meetings. Still, Capitol Hill Day participants realized valuable opportunities to create and strengthen relationships with their Members of Congress and their staff members. These bonds will have immeasurable impact in the coming weeks, months, and years, particularly as Members work to reach broad budget compromises following the August recess. Further details on the success and results of Capitol Hill Day 2013 are available in the full report.